The weekend passed even quicker than she expected. With Eli gone she had no reference for time other than the clock on her tablet. She watched hours of reality TV, laying around the house in her grungiest clothes and taking long, hot baths without anyone to watch her after coming to the realization that the bathrooms were the only spaces in the house without cameras installed. By Saturday she even found the energy to go up to the third floor and work out. Although she knew he was constantly watching her even from far away, she seldom heard from him except to tell her that he arrived safely (like she cared) and to make sure she had enough food. After that, nothing.

He didn't even ask her again about the pregnancy tests or her period, which was a relief, because aside from the blood she had wiped after their last tryst, she had not bled again like she expected. There was some mild spotting, and the first afternoon following his departure she felt more cramping which made her think the rest was imminent, but then no further blood came.

It was unnerving, especially whenever she walked in the bathroom and saw the tests waiting on the counter. At night she lie awake, staring up at the ceiling in this enormous, empty bed and wondering what Eli was doing 6 hours north of here that he couldn't manage from his office. She had been tempted to walk in there upon one of her many rounds through the house purely for exercise. The cramping returned sporadically, sans blood, and she would go back to the home gym, lifting weights until her arms ached then running on the treadmill for hours. There was still a chance she was pregnant, and without any other means to prevent it at her disposal, she resorted to over-exercising and eating as little as possible. Thankfully, she felt less hungry than she ever had in her life, but now she was increasingly tired. Ava chalked the exhaustion up to all the exercise and took naps in every room of the house, including once on the gym floor. The only room she refused to go in because it felt like jinxing herself was the door down the hallway from her. Eli's designated future nursery.

Saturday night, she had been without him a day and a half, and not hear from him since the day before. Whilst laying on the couch 3 seasons deep into Jersey Shore, she heard his voice and jumped.

"Just checking in. How are you feeling?"

Ava's hand flew to her chest where her heart was thumping erratically after the interruption, "Fine. No complaints here."

She knew he probably wanted her to ask how he was, which was precisely why she didn't.

"Good. Very good. No issues?"

Her lungs sucked in an exasperated breath, "None to report."

Eli paused, "Did your period start?"

When he asked, she felt her stomach twinge painfully again, though not unbearably, and she wished with all her heart she could answer him with confidence.

"Just some light bleeding," she lied, "Pretty typical considering I just removed the IUD."

More silence. "Alright, when I get back tomorrow afternoon you can take one more test."

Ava tried hard to look like she was concentrating on the screen, "Okay." Her stomach flipped a little with nerves, but she kept it from showing on her face.

"I guess I'll talk to you tomorrow then if there's nothing else." His voice sounded hopeful like he had reached out expecting her to want to hear from him. Ava hugged her legs on the couch and ignored him.

"Bye then."

Her nausea came and went, but since it was usually exacerbated when she sat alone and let her thoughts wander in circles, she told herself it must be from worrying or an extremely bad period about to wreak havoc with her. She welcomed it now, anything for an excuse to repel Eli, although she had a feeling blood would not be enough to squash his appetite for her upon his return.

When she went to bed on Saturday night, she lingered in the bathroom a little longer, sitting on the toilet and willing her body to bleed profusely. Anything, even a few stray smears again would have been cause for celebration. Every time she wiped, the paper was clean.

Tomorrow, she told herself, if it hadn't come by tomorrow, then she would start to worry more. Plenty of periods came several days late, and she had all the signs of her period being imminent. Surely within 48 hours, it would start and she could rest easier.

When the morning came though, she was still as fresh as before. No blood, just faint aching that came and went, and she felt herself beginning to panic again.

The tests were there. She knew she could take one at any time, but there was no way to dispose of it without Eli knowing. Where could she hide it that he wouldn't find? Even if she found a good place, he would surely notice one was missing and then ransack the house looking for it, punishing her with more bruising sex for defying him. All morning she forced herself to proceed as she normally did. She cooked eggs for breakfast and ate them even though the smell made her queasy. She finished another season of Jersey Shore and lay there listlessly on the couch, pretending to pay attention while she tried to think of ways to stench the rising tide of fear that made her skin prickle.

Close to noon, Eli spoke through the cameras to let her know he was leaving and should be back around 6.

"I can't wait to see you. I'll pick up dinner, anything you want."

Ava's mouth barely wanted to move, let alone eat.

"You pick, I'm not very hungry."

He tutted, "You've barely eaten anything all weekend, Ava. Starving yourself isn't good for anyone."

Not good for you, you mean.

Her head was resting on the arm of the couch, her legs drawn up in a fetal position. "McDonald's happy meal. Nuggets."

Eli actually laughed, "You want the girl toy or the boy toy with it?" he joked, "I can definitely do that. Sauce?"

"Sweet and sour." The sound of any food wasn't appealing, but the thought of those golden fries felt like it might help settle her stomach instead of making it worse.

"Happy meals it is. Alright then, tell me if you need anything else. See you soon."

Again, she did not answer, merely tightening her arms around her legs and trying to let her mind go numb.

At some point, she fell asleep on the couch. Her dreams were thankfully free of Eli or babies, but she was standing in a tropical place, walking through the trees that swayed in a saltwater-laced breeze, staring in awe around her at the birds flitting to and fro amongst the branches. In the distance, she saw large, hulking figures that looked familiar. A couple of the creatures came closer to her, and as they approached she recognized them as dinosaurs.

Brachiosaurus, she remembered from one of the books on the third floor. They stepped closer to her, a mother and one baby almost the size of a Hummer. The mother's great tree trunk-sized legs struck the ground with enough force to shake the earth where she stood. Up Ava looked, in awe, as its long neck craned towards the tops of the trees. The three of them stood at the edge of the forest, and Ava backed up to lean against a tree, suddenly tired even from just standing there. Then she looked down and saw the pronounced bulge of her belly.

"No. No. No. No."

A horrifying sound from behind her, then even louder footsteps. She turned her head to look just as a large, black dinosaur on 2-legs came barreling past, heading straight for the mother and baby.

"No!" she screamed and felt a firm hand covering her mouth.

"Shh," Eli's voice was too calm, his other arm wrapped around her to prevent her from struggling as the beast bore down on its prey, "Let nature do what nature does."

Ava's eyes opened on the couch and her stomach lurched again. She managed to make it to the half-bathroom under the stairs before she hurled this time, emptying the eggs from this morning, the only food she'd consumed today before she flushed it down and rested her reddened face against the beadboard paneling.

How many hours had it been? She crawled out on her hands and knees, looking through the windows to see the hazy orange glow of sunset. Eli should be back around close to 6, maybe a little later if McDonald's took their time. Dammit, she should have demanded ice cream, then he would have had to stop at several before he could get back to her.

She stood on her shaky legs and wobbled to the couch to check the time on her tablet. 5pm exactly. One hour left, give or take. Then she would be expected to pee on a stick again for him. Why not just go up and do it herself? What did she have to lose by doing it of her own volition?

Everything. Everything to lose.

It occurred to her to ask him how far away he was, but she didn't want him to think she was anxious for his return. No, she had to make this decision now with the information she had. The fact was he would expect her to test the second he walked through the door. If she got another negative right now, she could rest easy before she had to take another.

What if you get a positive?

The queasiness returned. She couldn't bear to think about it, but she needed to know.

Back in the bathroom, she stared at herself in the mirror, holding one of the boxes in her hands and reading the back of it.

Maybe it's another UTI. Maybe it's just your body going through the motions of a period but forgetting to do the important part.

Maybe.

Maybe not.

Ava opened the box and pulled out the test. Her fingers were remarkably steady this time. Her bladder felt full, but if it was negative she would need to drink a lot more before Eli got back in order to prove it was legitimate for him again.

With a heavy sigh, she sat down on the toilet and peed. It was less than a minute before she was capping it and setting the test on the sink, unwilling to make herself look at it before it was time. Nervous energy seemed to be coursing through her now, she couldn't even bear to wait in the same room. Ava made herself take the stairs up to the third floor, walking the length of it twice before coming down and descending into the kitchen, then doing the same on the first floor. She eyed the door to the front of the house warily, worried that Eli might come in at any second and beat her to the result.

He had no way of knowing she had taken the test. She could still get up there in time to see it before him. The possibility of that happening though spurred her up the stairs at record speed, taking them two at a time and tripping on the last one when she was almost at the top. Ava landed hard, rug burn chafed her knees and the palms of her hands but she barely noticed as she clambered to her feet. When she reached the threshold of the bathroom she stopped, heart in her throat, looking at the test balanced on the sink's rim, still an unknown result until she could force herself to check it.

She closed her eyes and walked closer, picking up the test and holding it in both hands while she took a deep breath and braced herself to look.

Her eyes opened and she glanced down.

Pregnant.

Every part of her went numb. Her fingers dropped the test with a clatter on the floor and she stepped back with a gasp, almost tripping over the toilet.

It couldn't be.

Two days ago both early detection tests were negative. This wasn't even one of those. Just some run-of-the-mill pregnancy test that shouldn't be able to pick up for several weeks, based on the things she had been told by her friends during their pregnancy scares in college. It had to be wrong.

She looked down to see her hands clasped instinctively over her stomach and yanked them away. The other pregnancy tests were still sitting on the sink, teasing her with the possibility of their confirming what this one had just said.

Bending down, Ava reached for the test she had dropped like it was a ticking time bomb ready to explode. She picked it up between two fingers and stood to look at it clearly, hoping the answer might have somehow changed.

Pregnant.

A noise from the hall, another creaking floorboard beneath the carpet, and she jumped with a shriek. Eli stepped into the doorway, still wearing a suit, his 5 o'clock shadow and glasses made him look almost handsome, but his expression was frightening.

"Well, Ava?"

She clenched it in her hands, unwilling to let him see.

"It-It's wrong," she stuttered, but he stepped closer and with firm hands he pried the test from her, looking down at the result without reacting at first.

Ava thought she might faint, but his tight grip on her wrist slackened once he read it.

Finally, he broke into a smile.

"I knew we could do it," he murmured, kissing her forehead.

Everything seemed to be falling down around her. Ava's mind felt fuzzy, and her body could barely stand on her own two legs. Panic gave way to terror as she watched him grinning at her, gloating over his conquest and her body's unwillingness to reject it. Her vision blurred and she felt herself sinking to the floor.

"Eli, I-" she managed to say before unconsciousness took her.


Ava came to back in bed, a cold rag on her forehead again as Eli lay next to her, still in his suit, but stroking his hand over her stomach.

"Don't touch me," she snapped, but she had no energy to get up and leave the place she was in.

He lifted his hand to stroke her cheek, "You're so beautiful; you know that? God, you're incredible. Everything about you. Exquisite. Extraordinary."

She swatted his hand away, fighting the influx of tears ready and waiting for her to wake up and shed them. "Don't get your hopes up yet. False positives happen all the time."

"False negatives are very common, especially this close to conception. False positives are a rarity."

The tears spilled out and he brushed them away as she sniffled, "Why? Why me? Why not someone else? I'm not ready for this; any of this."

Eli pulled her closer to him, nuzzling her face into his shirt and shushing her as she let the crying commence. "It's alright," he whispered, kissing her hairline, "I'm right here with you."

That reminder only made her sob harder, wanting to push him away but too emotionally distraught to refuse the only comfort being offered to her right now. Her stomach clenched again when he trailed his hand down to trace along her waistline.

"I-I bled," she started, "I had cramps."

"Implantation cramps and minor bleeding. That's our child starting to grow."

"How did you kno—"

"When I asked about your bleeding you seemed deliberately evasive about it. I figured if you were experiencing a full period you would be practically shouting it at me every chance you had, but you were so noncommittal in your responses, and I researched what else it could be and everything lined up. You're not having a period again for a very long time, love."

The matter-of-fact way he delivered the news, the utter joy it seemed to give him to tell her; Ava's face crumpled and she let out a wail unlike any before. She poured all her rage into it, raising her voice higher and higher until Eli covered her mouth and pinned her down, no longer looking so accommodating.

"You're acting hysterical. Grow up. You should be happy about this Ava, haven't you always wanted to be a mother?"

His hand was still blocking her mouth as she screamed her expletive-laced response at him, but he waited until she stopped thrashing to let her speak freely again.

"I wanted to be a mother with someone I chose," her voice was ragged from the rawness of her throat, "I wanted to have children with the man I would fall in love with. Not this- this—" she started to sob all over again, unable to finish.

Eli pulled her close once more. "You will have that, I promise. You will learn to love me, Ava. The baby will be part of that journey. It will help you come around to all of this, to me."

She couldn't even speak she was crying so hard, bawling into his chest as her fists flung at him ineffectually. He pinned them with ease between their bodies, holding her so tightly to him that she couldn't move.

"Hush now, Ava. It's not good for the baby."

"You think this is? You think any of this is good for the baby? A mother who doesn't want it. A father who is psychotic? A house they can't ever leave? What part of this is good for the baby, Eli?"

His only response was to hold her tighter, kissing her face when she was finally spent from crying and had nothing left in her to argue. Hiccups followed the tears, and he chuckled at her.

"I have your happy meal downstairs waiting. You want me to bring it up?"

"I don't want anything from you. Ever again."

He rolled his eyes. "I'll go and get it in case you change your mind. I got you Sprite in case you're queasy. Have you felt nauseous at all yet?"

Ava balked, remembering when she vomited earlier before she took the test again.

"I thought so. Hold on while I run down and grab it."

He rolled off the bed and left the door open behind him. She looked at the keypad glowing green, then to the banister beyond it. What if she fell down the stairs and made it look like an accident? There was no time to think through it further before Eli returned, 2 red cardboard boxes under his arm and a large soda with a golden M on the front.

"Sprite, as promised to settle your stomach."

She took the drink willingly, shaking her head when he tried to offer her the food. He set it at the foot of the bed and began changing his clothes in front of her. When he was down to his boxers, Ava caught him looking at her like he was planning something after their 2.5 day hiatus, but then he pulled on his sleep clothes and climbed in next to her, reaching across the bed for his own happy meal box.

"This one has the boy toy, this is yours," he set it between the two of them and reached for the other, "This one is the girl toy," he pulled out a plastic bag with a tiny doll as big as his thumb inside and showed it to her, "This one is mine."

Ava ignored him, concentrating on her Sprite and the gurgling in her stomach. The smell of french fries just inches away was beyond tempting, even in the midst of her acute nervous breakdown. Her mouth watered as her stomach became somewhat calmer and she reached for her own box where he had set it between them.

Each fry tasted like manna from heaven. The crunchy saltiness seemed to explode on her tongue and she ate the entire bag in less than a minute. Eli watched her and held out his own half-eaten bag, "More?"

She accepted the gesture, too happy to eat something familiar that didn't feel at immediate risk of being thrown back up. When Eli's fries were gone too, she pulled out her chicken nuggets and sauce. Eli hadn't even touched his yet, and she watched him expectantly as she plowed through all 6 of hers in almost the same time it took to polish off the fries.

"Here," he handed her his unopened container of nuggets, "I ate something on the way down."

By now her stomach was starting to feel uncomfortably full and Ava managed to mumble 'No,' through a mouthful of food.

Eli leaned back against the headboard and dug into his own nuggets, watching her like he was simply enamored by the sight of her eating.

When she was done, Ava sipped on more of the Sprite, enjoying the fizzy taste that bubbled all the way down her throat and seemed to manage to pacify the burbling mess of her intestines.

He took the boxes and empty packaging downstairs for the trash, tossing Ava her 'boy toy' on his way out. She picked up the plastic bag and looked in to see a Hot Wheels car in metallic blue with yellow accents. Her hand touched her stomach, still flat but very bloated now, and wondered who was forming inside her as she sat here.

Stop it. This is exactly what Eli wants you to do. He already admitted it. Don't feed into his delusion.

Ava laid back against the pillows, still shell-shocked yet trying to think of a way this could just be another bad dream. She would wake up on the couch again any minute now. She would take another test and it would be negative. She would be free of Eli's plans for her a little while longer.

Back from the kitchen, Eli slipped between the covers and pulled her close. Why couldn't he ever seem to understand her need for personal space, especially where he was concerned?

"I missed you while I was away," he murmured, his hands sliding under her shirt to dip down her stomach and into the waistband of her pants. His stubble scratched her neck as he nipped at her earlobe and she squeezed her eyes shut to try and block out what he was doing. Rolling onto her side, she tried to push his hands away but he was so much stronger, his thigh forced itself between her clenched legs at the same time his fingers wiggled their way inside her.

"I missed this, especially," his thumb worked circles around her clit.

"Please stop," she whimpered, "You've already gotten what you wanted from me."

"Not everything," his husky voice in her ear sent goosebumps down her arms, "I want all of you, Ava. Eventually, I will have all of you. Until I do, I just have to keep proving my love for you."

She wanted him to stop. Stop all of this, but especially his persistence in making her want to be with him, "Why do you say things like that?" His fingers ceased their ministrations.

"Because it's the truth."

"It's not."

He sighed. "Would you rather I lie to you? Would you rather I tell you that eventually I'll grow tired of you and let you go back to your boring HR job? That's not happening Ava. I saved you from that. This," his hand withdrew from her cleft to rest over her womb, "This is what you're meant to do in life. To be the mother of my children, to let me provide for you and give you all the best that life can offer."

"How is this the best life can offer?" she said through her tears while he nuzzled her neck, "How is this an improvement on my previous life?"

"You were all alone, Ava. You moved out here with no friends nearby, no family, your parents are dead, and you're an only child. You needed me as much as I needed you. Who are you so anxious to get out of here and see?"

Ava froze. "How do you know about my parents?"

"I overheard you telling a coworker when she asked you what you were doing for Mother's day a few months ago. You told her they both had died a few years ago in a drunk driving accident the month after you graduated college. After that, you sold the house you grew up in Vermont and moved down to Boston and started fresh. Then you came here, to me, and I knew it was fate."

"It's not fate, Eli. You tricked me here, made me think you were this sweet guy, and—"

"I am sweet," he interjected, "But you make it difficult when you persist in trying to delay the inevitable. You don't want to let yourself love me, so you refuse to engage and hide behind stimulants as an excuse for when I pleasure you and you cum over and over." His hand ventured back down her pants and cupped her pussy like a football, "This is mine. You are mine. No one else's. Understand?"

She let out a low sob, "I've been with others, you know. You weren't my first. Not by a long shot."

"But I'll be your last. That's all I care about. Soon enough you won't even remember what those subpar lovers did for you. You'll only remember me and my cock, and the hours of lovemaking that went into this," his hand was splayed across her pubic bone and his thumb rubbed her tummy. Ava buried her face into the pillow and sobbed again.

"Let me make you cum my love. You need to cum after so many days, we both do."

Her body stiffened but he rolled her onto her back and she watched him duck beneath the covers, licking a trail down her arm and then pulling down her bottoms before raising her shirt enough to give him unfettered access to her bare stomach.

"Daddy's here," he cooed, kissing her just above her pelvis so that she shivered in horror mixed with lust.

Don't do this. Don't give in.

His tongue dipped lower and she parted her legs on instinct. What did it matter what he did now if she'd already lost the biggest battle? His hands pushed her thighs apart more as he settled between them and began to torture her with his tongue.

All weekend she had felt the stirrings of arousal ebb and flow in his absence. Sometimes she would be sitting at the kitchen island eating her breakfast and a stab of sexual excitement would run through her, leaving her doubled over the counter and fighting herself not to deal with it as she would have a month ago when she was still free.

Those urges came back with a vengeance now as he ravished her cunt with his tongue, nibbling and suckling all the places he had learned she liked. His hands held down her hips as she writhed against his mouth, mewling helplessly.

Once, she looked down and lifted the covers to see his mouth fastened to her most intimate of places and she strained for a moment before the climax finally took her.

She shook violently, crying out in pleasurable defeat. Her pants and panties were down around her ankles, prohibiting her from wrapping her legs around his shoulders. He sensed her predicament and removed them entirely, then crawled back up to her face as he began to push himself inside her.

"Unnnnh," she moaned, her torso trembling as she stretched to accommodate him. He kissed her deeply, and the act of tasting herself on his lips wasn't as repulsive as she thought it would be. His thrusts were slow and methodical, giving him the opportunity to kiss along her neck and shoulders, lips working her into a frenzy again while his hands squeezed her breasts and pinched her nipples lightly. Her hips moved of their own accord, chasing another orgasm they had grown to expect from Eli, who never seemed content to leave her after just one.

"That's it. That's my girl, Ava. Your body loves my cock. It craves it the way I crave your cunt."

His filthy words in her ear somehow overrode what vestiges of resistance she had in her. The snap of his hips driving between her legs and the sounds of her body accepting it gladly. All he had to do was keep plying her and eventually, she always came for him.

Mentally, she tried to remove herself from the situation and view it like a bystander instead of an active participant - just imagine herself as a person listening to the situation, instead of experiencing it.

That was hard to do though when his urgent thrusts worked her into a frenzy. He pounded her relentlessly into the mattress, watching her reactions as she squirmed beneath him until her euphoria washed over her at last, leaving her trembling and senseless.

His chest was heaving as he held himself over her with a final, harsh thrust and then stilled inside her. Ava gasped at the way she felt herself grow slicker with the addition of his fluids, and when he pulled out from her there was so much it seemed to pour out like water from a glass.

Eli held her to him. His eyes watched her face and kissed every spot, her cheeks, her lips, her temples, her nose, then he kissed her lips again, gently at first, until she felt his cock stir against the inside of her leg and she moaned before he plunged back in her again.